Wintry weather boost for tyre firm Bond International

A POCKLINGTON tyre company is reaping the benefits of the region’s white-out.

Bond International has seen a surge in demand for winter tyres as motorists look to stay safe in difficult driving conditions.

Bond International, an independent wholesaler, which also trades as tyregiant.com, said it was selling tens of thousands more tyres as a result of motorists’ increased safety awareness.

Steve Tidmarsh, director, said winter tyres had always been popular in mainland Europe, in particular in Germany, where drivers can get points on their licence for not using winter tyres, but the UK market, except for parts of Scotland, had never been as big.

“In the last few years there’s been a campaign by tyre manufacturers to educate the general public on the benefits of winter tyres, which work better than summer tyres as soon as the temperature drops below 7 degrees, not minus 7,” he said.

“Everybody in the tyre industry is telling the general public winter tyres are a key element of safety and awareness is much bigger than it’s ever been.”

He said the wholesaler normally sold 210,000 tyres a month on average, but in the last four years this figure had risen by about 10,000 during winter.

He said the increase created employment opportunities for drivers and warehouse operatives.